During the first nine months of 2018, just under 25,100 refugees were submitted by UNHCR for resettlement’ to 19 countries in Europe.2 This is 24% less than the same period in 2017, but already two-thirds more than the average rate of 15,400 submissions per year during the previous 10 years.

Between 2008 and 2017, Europe’s proportion of resettlement sub-missions globally has increased from approximately 7% to almost 52%, and in the first nine months of 2018 4 remained nearly half of all submissions. This is primarily due to a significant decrease globally in the scale of some States’ resettlement programmes during 2017, most notably by the United States of America.

At the end of October 2018, 21 Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) and the Syria Regional Response Plan (3RP) require US$25.20 billion to assist 97.9 million people in urgent need of humanitarian support. The plans are funded at $11.97 billion; this amounts to 47.5 per cent of financial requirements for 2018. Requirements are lower than in September 2018 due to revision of the Ethiopia Humanitarian and Disaster Resilience Plan (HDRP). For the remainder of 2018, humanitarian organizations require another $13.23 billion to meet the needs outlined in these plans.

Global requirements are $1.10 billion higher than at this time last year. Overall coverage and the dollar amount were only marginally higher in late October than at the same time in 2017.

On 8 October the Government of Ethiopia and humanitarian partners issued a Mid-Year Review of the HDRP. The revised plan reflects changes in the humanitarian context, and requires $1.49 billion for 2018, as opposed to the March 2018 requirement of $1.6 billion to reach some 7.88 million people in need of food or cash relief assistance and 8.49 million people with non-food assistance in the course of the year. Despite the general good performance of this year’s belg (spring) rains, the number of people targeted for relief food and cash support remains largely unchanged due to the significant spike in internal displacement since April 2018.

Security Council Briefings and High Level Missions

At a briefing to the Security Council on 23 October, Under-Secretary-General/Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) Mark Lowcock called on all stakeholders to do everything possible to avert catastrophe in Yemen. In a follow up note on the humanitarian situation in Yemen of 30 October, the USG/ERC thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United States, Kuwait, the United Kingdom and all donors for the record amount raised for the humanitarian appeal in 2018 which had meant nearly 8 million people had received assistance across the country; more than 7 million people had received food and more than 420,000 children been treated for malnutrition; clean water, sanitation and basic hygiene support is now available to 7.4 million people and about 8 million men, women, girls and boys had benefited from health services.

At a Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria on 29 October, the USG/ERC urged the Security Council and key Member States to ensure that the ceasefire holds in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib to prevent a military onslaught and overwhelming humanitarian suffering. He thanked donors for the $1.7 billion contributed so far towards the HRP for Syria, but pointed out that this HRP is currently funded at less than 50 per cent.

In her statement to the Security Council on 30 October, Assistant Under-Secretary-General/Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator (ASG/DERC)
Ursulla Mueller spoke of the steady decline in humanitarian funding for the Ukraine over the years and mentioned that the HRP for 2018 is funded at only 32 per cent. This is simply not enough to cover food, health care, water, sanitation and other life-saving assistance. ASG/DERC Mueller appealed to donors to increase their support for consolidating gains in anticipation of the fast-approaching winter.

During a joint mission to Chad and Nigeria (5-7 October) with UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, as part of a series of country visits the two will make to advance humanitarian-development collaboration, the USG/ERC called on donors to fulfil pledges and announcements of over $2 million made in Berlin last month at the High Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region (3-4 September). He noted the importance of maintaining humanitarian response in the region as needs were still very high.

Following her visit to the Republic of the Philippines from 9 to 11 October, ASG/DERC Mueller announced that OCHA would continue advocating for sustained funding to address humanitarian needs of people displaced by the Marawi conflict while ensuring that support for the transition to longerterm and sustainable recovery is forthcoming.

Upcoming Event

The Global Humanitarian Overview 2019 and World Humanitarian Data and Trends will be launched in the course of joint event to take place in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on 4 December 2018.

Pooled Funds

Between January and the end of October 2018, country-based pooled funds (CBPFs) have received a total of $708 million in contributions from 32 donors (including contributions through the UN Foundation). During the same period, a total of $616 million from the 18 operational funds was allocated towards 1,071 projects with 575 implementing partners. Nearly 40 per cent ($246 million) of the funds were allocated to international NGOs and some 26 per cent (approximately $160 million) to national NGOs. UN agencies received 32 per cent ($202 million) of the allocated funds and Red Cross/Red Crescent organizations received over 1 per cent (some $8 million) of all allocated funds. The largest allocations per sector went to health; food security; water, sanitation and hygiene; nutrition; emergency shelter and NFIs.

Between 1 January and 31 October 2018, the Emergency Relief Coordinator approved $477 million in grants from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support life-saving activities in 45 countries. This includes $297.7 million from the Rapid Response Window and $179.7 million from the Underfunded Emergencies (UFE) Window. A total of $31.6 million in Rapid Response grants was approved in October in response to cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe, Niger and Nigeria; flooding in Laos; and the population influx from Venezuela to Brazil, Ecuador and Peru; as well as to support Government relief efforts following the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The UFE 2018 second round was completed this month, with $30.6 million approved in September and the remaining $49.4 million of the round’s $80 million released in October to assist people caught up in nine chronic emergencies in Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Libya,
Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Sudan.

Country Updates

Funding for humanitarian activities in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is at an all-time low. Nearly all agencies requesting financial support through the HRP have received less funding in 2018 than in previous years. This leaves humanitarian partners ill-placed to meet emerging needs or respond to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the rise in casualties during the recent demonstrations has stretched Gaza’s overburdened health system.
Humanitarian agencies appealed in August for $43.8 million to respond to the Gaza crisis, particularly trauma management and emergency health care, in 2018. On 22 September, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the oPt launched an $8.3 million allocation from the oPt Humanitarian Fund to implement critical HRP projects, mainly in Gaza. Stocks of medical supplies are in extremely short supply and depleted to almost half of requirements. Since late October, the Gaza power plant has been providing up to eleven hours of electricity a day. However, around 250 health,
WASH and essential solid waste facilities continue to rely on UN-procured emergency fuel for running back-up generators. This year’s intensive operations have depleted funds and stocks and the $1 million allocated by the oPt Humanitarian Fund for fuel supplies will only last until the end of November. Further and urgent financial support is therefore required.

Conditions in Yemen continued to deteriorate in October, pushing the country to the brink of famine. On 23 October, the USG/ERC warned the Security Council that without urgent action, up to 14 million people – half the population – could face pre-famine conditions in the coming months.
Assessments are currently under way, with initial results expected in mid-November. The economic crisis is raising the risk of famine. The Yemeni rial has depreciated by nearly 50 per cent over the last year. Commodity prices have soared, as Yemen imports 90 per cent of staple food and nearly all fuel and medicine.

Urgent steps are required to avert immediate catastrophe. First, a cessation of hostilities is needed; this is especially critical in populated areas.
Second, imports of food, fuel and other essentials must be able to enter Yemen without impediment. Roads must remain open so these goods can reach communities across the country. Third, the Yemeni economy must be supported, including by injecting foreign exchange, expediting credit for imports and paying salaries and pensions. Fourth, international funding must increase now to allow humanitarians to meet growing needs for assistance. Finally, all parties must engage with the UN Special Envoy to end the conflict. Yemen remains the largest humanitarian operation in the world, with more than 200 partners working through the Yemen HRP.

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime that affects every country in the world. Conflicts that arise in countries or other geographical areas can exacerbate vulnerability to trafficking, as well as its prevalence and severity. As State and non-State structures weaken, and as people turn to negative coping strategies in order to survive, not only does the risk of falling victim to trafficking increase, but so too does the risk of perpetrating it against others. At the same time, conflict also increases the demand for goods and services provided by exploited persons and creates new demands for exploitative combat and support roles. For these reasons, United Nations entities and other international actors active in settings affected by conflict have a crucial role to play in preventing and countering trafficking in persons.

Definition and elements of trafficking in persons

Trafficking in persons is addressed in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Trafficking in Persons Protocol). The Protocol provides a comprehensive framework for cooperation between States parties and sets out minimum standards for victim protection to complement the wider framework of international law, including international human rights law. The Protocol requires States parties to criminalize the offence of trafficking as defined in its article 3 (a). That definition comprises three elements:

(a) An “act” (recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons);
(b) A “means” by which that action is achieved (threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, or the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve consent of a person having control over another person);
(c) A “purpose” of exploitation, regardless of what type.

The “means” element is not a requisite for the definition of trafficking in persons when the victim is a child; any act committed for an exploitative purpose is sufficient to establish the trafficking of a child as an offence.

Even though the forms of exploitation that occur in settings affected by conflict may also occur in other contexts, conditions of conflict are often more likely to engender such exploitation or to exacerbate its prevalence and severity. Some forms of exploitation, identi- fied through research on exploitative practices in conflict settings, have emerged as specific to the context of conflict, including but not limited to the following:

• Sexual exploitation of women and girls by members of armed and terrorist groups
• Use of trafficked children as soldiers
• Removal of organs to treat wounded fighters or finance war
• Enslavement as a tactic of terrorism, including its use to suppress ethnic minorities

Consent of the victim to exploitation is irrelevant in cases where any of the means have been used in relation to an adult victim, and is always irrelevant where the victim is a child.

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime that affects every country in the world. Conflicts that arise in countries or other geographical areas can exacerbate vulnerability to trafficking, as well as its prevalence and severity. As State and non-State structures weaken, and as people turn to negative coping strategies in order to survive, not only does the risk of falling victim to trafficking increase, but so too does the risk of perpetrating it against others. At the same time, conflict also increases the demand for goods and services provided by exploited persons and creates new demands for exploitative combat and support roles. For these reasons, United Nations entities and other international actors active in settings affected by conflict have a crucial role to play in preventing and countering trafficking in persons.

Definition and elements of trafficking in persons

Trafficking in persons is addressed in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Trafficking in Persons Protocol). The Protocol provides a comprehensive framework for cooperation between States parties and sets out minimum standards for victim protection to complement the wider framework of international law, including international human rights law. The Protocol requires States parties to criminalize the offence of trafficking as defined in its article 3 (a). That definition comprises three elements:

(a) An “act” (recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons);
(b) A “means” by which that action is achieved (threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, or the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve consent of a person having control over another person);
(c) A “purpose” of exploitation, regardless of what type.

The “means” element is not a requisite for the definition of trafficking in persons when the victim is a child; any act committed for an exploitative purpose is sufficient to establish the trafficking of a child as an offence.

Even though the forms of exploitation that occur in settings affected by conflict may also occur in other contexts, conditions of conflict are often more likely to engender such exploitation or to exacerbate its prevalence and severity. Some forms of exploitation, identi- fied through research on exploitative practices in conflict settings, have emerged as specific to the context of conflict, including but not limited to the following:

• Sexual exploitation of women and girls by members of armed and terrorist groups
• Use of trafficked children as soldiers
• Removal of organs to treat wounded fighters or finance war
• Enslavement as a tactic of terrorism, including its use to suppress ethnic minorities

Consent of the victim to exploitation is irrelevant in cases where any of the means have been used in relation to an adult victim, and is always irrelevant where the victim is a child.

China takes on the Council presidency in November. It will hold two open debates: on the UN’s role in strengthening multilateralism, and on enhancing African capacities in peace and security. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to brief at both meetings, while AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Smaïl Chergui is a possible briefer for the debate on African capacities.

Regarding Libya, the Council is expected to receive briefings by Special Representative of UNSMIL Ghassan Salamé and the chair of the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Olof Skoog (Sweden). Additionally, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will deliver her semi-annual briefing.

Two adoptions on Somalia are scheduled. The first is to renew counter-piracy measures in Somalia, and the second is for a resolution addressing partial lifting of Somalia and Eritrea sanctions.

There will also be a briefing by Ambassador Kairat Umarov (Kazakhstan), the chair of the 751/1901 Somalia and Eritrea Sanctions Committee.

Other African issues include:

Burundi, update by the Special Envoy;

CAR, renewal of MINUSCA;

Sahel, a briefing on the joint force of the Group of Five for the Sahel; and

Sudan/South Sudan, the renewal of UNISFA in Abyei.

With regard to Syria, there will be the regular monthly briefings on political and humanitarian developments and on the use of chemical weapons. Other meetings on Middle East issues this month include:

Lebanon, on resolution 1701;

Israel/Palestine, the monthly briefing;

Iraq, on recent developments and UNAMI; and

Yemen, an update on efforts to resume political consultations.

The Council will hold its semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina and will adopt a resolution renewing the authorisation of the EU-led multinational stabilisation force. There will also be a briefing on UNMIK in Kosovo.

The fifth annual briefing with heads of police components of peacekeeping operations will be held in early November.

Regarding the DPRK, the chair of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Karel van Oosterom (Netherlands), will brief in consultations.

The 15 current Council members and the incoming five (Belgium, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Germany and South Africa) will participate in the annual “Hitting the Ground Running” workshop organised by Finland.

“Access to education is a fundamental human right. It is essential to the acquisition of knowledge and to the full development of the human personality, as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states. More than that, education makes us more resilient and independent individuals.”Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

2017 was a milestone year for the Albert Einstein Academic Refugee Initiative (the DAFI programme), marking 25 years of providing higher education scholarships to refugees. UNHCR celebrated this achievement with partners, current and former scholars in the 50 countries that host DAFI students. Since the programme began in 1992, over 14,000 young refugee women and men have received accredited undergraduate degrees in various disciplines across the arts and sciences in universities and colleges in their country of asylum. This helped them to develop leadership skills, benefit from greater protection and to increase self-reliance for themselves and their families. In addition, students participating in the DAFI programme have become leaders and peace-builders in their communities. The case studies highlighted in this report show only a small fraction of the talents and achievements of DAFI graduates and the wider impact they have had on their communities.

In 2016, 193 countries adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and its annex the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). Signatory States confirmed their commitment to share responsibility for finding sustainable solutions to forced displacement and affirmed their solidarity with those who are forced to flee. They also reinforced their 2015 commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on equitable and inclusive access to quality education and lifelong learning for all, and explicitly recognized that the educational needs of refugees must be upheld as a right. The CRRF and the Programme of Action of the Global Compact on Refugees affirm that participation in higher education can generate positive change in conflict and crisis situations. Higher education gives young refugee men and women an opportunity to acquire knowledge and build skills that will allow them to contribute to society. The CRRF states that higher education is integral to refugee empowerment because it fosters inclusion and promotes skills that are essential for recovery and rebuilding after conflict. In addition, the academic and social benefits of education help young people in exile to be resilient. The DAFI programme embodies these principles and promotes the inclusion of refugees in national education systems in their country of asylum. By providing higher education scholarships and facilitating pathways to livelihood opportunities, the DAFI progamme improves protection, helps to achieve long-term solutions for refugees and the communities that host them, and advances the vision and goals of the CRRF and the Global Compact on Refugees.

The DAFI programme has almost tripled in size in the last three years. The number of students doubled from 2,321 students in 2015 to 4,652 students in 2016, and rose again to 6,723 students in 2017. This rapid growth was partly due to the Syrian crisis. In 2017, Syria was the largest country of origin of DAFI students (2,528), the majority of whom are studying in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The programme also expanded significantly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which hosted 41% of DAFI students in 2017. The crisis in South Sudan caused a major influx into surrounding countries, particularly Uganda, which hosts the majority of South Sudanese refugees. The DAFI programme responded by increasing scholarships for South Sudanese refugees, enabling UNHCR Uganda to provide the fifth highest number of scholarships (438) in 2017. The other top four countries in terms of numbers of DAFI scholarships were Turkey (818), Ethiopia (729), Jordan (721) and Pakistan (490).

In 2017, the DAFI programme awarded new scholarships to 2,582 successful applicants selected from among 12,570 applicants. In the same year, it expanded geographically to include 13 new programme countries. The growth of the DAFI programme has been made possible by generous increases in funding from the German Government and greater support from private partners, including the Saïd, Asfari and Hands Up Foundations. The DAFI programme’s success is equally due to the many global, regional and national actors that collaborate closely with UNHCR, including Ministries of Education, education institutions, and non-governmental organisations. Additionally, UNHCR works with other scholarship providers, sharing good practices and ensuring that higher education scholarship initiatives for refugees take account of protection considerations.

In addition to scholarship provision, access to higher education has expanded through innovative connected learning opportunities that help refugee students overcome barriers to higher education by participating in accredited blended learning programmes. UNHCR and the University of Geneva co-lead the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium (CLCC), a network of 16 universities, non-governmental organisations, and blended learning providers that offers flexible learning opportunities to displaced learners in a variety of fragile contexts by combining online and face-to-face instruction. In 2017, over 7,000 refugee students participated in short courses, diploma and degree courses associated with connected learning programmes. In March 2017, UNHCR and UNESCO brought together 750 experts from 60 countries and over 500 organisations to discuss ‘Education in Emergencies and Crises’ during the Mobile Learning Week in Paris. Five refugees, one DAFI scholar, three studying through connected learning programmes and one teacher participated in the event by sharing their experiences, leading to the initiation of several new programmes on refugee education.

The success of the DAFI programme and its students is inspiring. However, the scale of displacement means that much remains to be done. In 2017, 68.5 million people were forcibly displaced, of whom 19.9 million were refugees with 52% being children below 18 years. In 2017, UNHCR released its annual education report, Left Behind: Refugee Education in Crisis, highlighting major gaps in refugee access at all levels of education. At secondary level, only 23% of refugee adolescents are enrolled in school. At tertiary level, the figures are even bleaker: only 1% of young adult refugees are enrolled in higher education, compared to 36% of young adults globally. Additionally, as the report Her Turn: It’s time to make refugee girls’ education a priority points out, refugee women and girls are particularly at risk of being denied educational opportunities. The report calls on the international community to improve their access to education.

Against this backdrop, the DAFI programme has continued to motivate young refugee men and women to complete their upper secondary education and to overcome barriers to pursuing higher education. Crucially, it has also served as a model for other scholarship providers and new partners interested in supporting higher education for refugees. The DAFI programme has helped showcase the success that can be achieved through sustained investment in higher education for refugees. On the 25th anniversary of the DAFI programme, UNHCR and its partners reaffirm their determination to expand access to higher education for young refugee women and men, at a time when it is needed more than ever.

Between May 2016 and September 2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, with technical support from the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), developed and delivered a 2 stage project in 5 different countries targeted at supporting opportunities for women’s equal and meaningful participation in camp governance structures. The activities, delivered through a participatory approach that included developing community-designed and led empowerment strategies, were part of a broader global-level project aimed at reducing gender-based violence (GBV) risks in camps and camp-like settings. This is premised on evidence that scaling up women’s agency in the public and private sphere is critical to social transformation and preventing violence against women and girls in all settings.

As part of a global-level project aiming at reducing gender-based violence (GBV) risks in camps and camp-like settings, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Global Cluster sought to understand how women’s participation in governance structures could contribute to reducing risks of GBV. Increasing women’s participation is an important path to improving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Furthermore, ensuring meaningful participation of all groups of the population in decision-making and in camp governance structures is an essential pillar of good camp management.[1] Participation is also essential to contribute to improved humanitarian response, disaster risk reduction, holistic community support, and ultimately, accountability toward affected populations.

Finally, meaningful participation of different groups within the displaced community offers a basic step towards making sure that different needs, capacities and expectations of heterogeneous groups within the displaced community are reflected and addressed. Often making up half or more of the entire population in a displaced community, women’s representation in camp governance structures have traditionally been limited and restricted. As such, increasing women’s participation in camp governance structures could enable them to voice their safety concerns and support the identification of responses to mitigate identified GBV risks.